Air actuated vacuum pump

ABSTRACT

An air actuated vacuum pump has a pair of chambers positioned about a rotatable air passageway structure in which a partial vacuum is established by a Venturi jet with the air passageway structure arranged to communicate alternately with said chambers. A base including inlet and outlet passageways and a valve forming extensions of the air passageway structure supports the chambers and the valve establishes alternate communication between the chambers and said inlet and outlet passageways respectively. Means is provided for rotating said air passageway structure and openings in the upper portions of said chambers alternately communicate with said air passageway structure so that partial vacuums may be created therein so as to effect a pumping action.

United States Patent [191 Lonardo [54] AIR ACTUATED VACUUM PUMP [76] lnventor: Vincent P. Lonardo, 5890 Salt Springs Road, Girard, Ohio 44420 221 Filed: Aug. 25, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 174,855

1,626,250 4/1927 O1iphant.. 417/122 X 2,704,034 3/1955 Jones l 1 1 ..417/l02 1,608,802 2/1926 Meyers et al.. .....4l7/123 2,141,427 12/1938 Bryant ..4l7/l48 X 51 May 1,1973

Primary Examiner-Carlton R. Croyle Assistant Examiner-Richard E. Gluch AttorneyWebster B. Harpman [5 7] ABSTRACT An air actuated vacuum pump has a pair of chambers positioned about a rotatable air passageway structure in which a partial vacuum is established by a Venturi jet with the air passageway structure arranged to communicate alternately with said chambers. A base including inlet and outlet passageways and a valve forming extensions of the air passageway structure supports the chambers and the valve establishes alternate communication between the chambers and said inlet and outlet passageways respectively. Means is provided for rotating said air passageway structure and openings in the upper portions of said chambers alternately communicate with said air passageway structure so that partial vacuums may be created therein so as to effect a pumping action.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMV1 I915 I 3,730,647

SHEETIUFZ FIG. I

INVENTOK VINCENT P. LONARDO ATTORNE PATENTEDW 1 I973 SHEET 2 BF 2 FIG-4 VINCENT P. LONARDO ATTORNEY;

AIR ACTUATED VACUUM PUMP BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention:

This invention relates to air actuated vacuum pumps of the type normally employed to move liquids and dependant upon a source of compressed air or a source of partial vacuum as an actuating means therefor.

2. Description of the Prior Art Prior structures of this type usually employ cylinders in which the air pressure is lowered by appropriate means so that liquid will flow thereinto and valves for closing the inlet openings so that introduction of air into the cylinders results in expelling the fluid therefrom. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Ser. Nos. 485,880; 533,225; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,838,433; 2,463,804 and 2,712,795.

This invention eliminates the movable valves and float control means of the prior art pumps and provides a simpler less expensive and more efficient air actuated vacuum pump.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An air actuated vacuum pump comprises a base having rotatably supported inlet and outlet passageways carrying a body member having at least two chambers formed therein with openings in the chambers arranged for registry with the inlet and outlet passageways in the base and a centrally disposed air passageway in which a partial vacuum may be created by a compressed air jet and associated Venturi and additional openings in said chambers communicating with said air passageway so that the partial vacuum therein communicates with the chambers alternately so as to move a liquid thereinto from said inlet passageway in said base and alternately expell liquid therefrom through said outlet passageway in said base.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a vertical section through an air actuated vacuum pump.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section on line 22 of FIG.

FIG; 3 is a horizontal section on line 33 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 is a horizontal section on line 4--4 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In its simplest form the air actuated vacuum pump of this invention comprises a base supporting a body member 11 having a pair of pump chambers 12 and 13 therein. Arcuate passageways 14 and 15 respectively communicate with the bottom of the pump chambers 12 and 13 and with a rotatable four way valve 16 positioned on said base 10 and within a valve chamber 17 formed in the lower portion of the body member 11.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings it will be seen that an inlet passageway 18 extends from a flanged fitting 19 to an opening in the side wall 20 of the valve chamber 17 and that an outlet passageway 21 similarly extends from an oppositely disposed opening in the side wall 20 of the valve chamber 17 and to a secondary flanged fitting 22.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings a double acting air cylinder 23 is arranged so that its piston rod 24 and a fitting 25 on the outer end thereof pivotally engages an arm 26 attached to a central tubular extension 27 of the four way valve 16. Motion originated by the double acting air cylinder 23 will thus move the four way valve 16 from the position illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings to a second position wherein the inlet passageway 18 will be in communication with the arcuate passageway 14 and the outlet passageway 21 will be in communication with the arcuate passageway 15.

An upward extension 28 of the four way valve 16 carries a tubular member 29 which extends upwardly through a central passageway 30 in the body member 11 with the upper end of the tubular member 29 secured to a combination rotary valve and Venturi member 31, the Venturi jet being indicated by the reference numeral 32 which communicates with a axial passageway 33, the upper end of which communicates as by way of a fitting 34 with a source of compressed air. A pair of secondary passageways 35 are formed horizontally in the combined rotary valve and Venturi member 31so that compressed air may be alternately delivered to the upper ends of the pump chambers 12 and 13 by way of air passageways 36 and 37 in an upper central portion 38 of the body member 11, when the combination rotary valve and Venturi member 31 is in communication therewith.

It will thus be seen that rotation of the combination rotary valve and Venturi member 31 alternately connects the air passageway 35 with the air passageways 36 and 37 and that such connection is opposite with respect to the inlet and outlet connection heretofore described, as occasioned by the four way valve 16.

It will thus be seen that when, for example, the pump chamber 12 and more particularly its arcuate passage 14 is in communication with the outlet passageway 21 as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the combination rotary valve and Venturi member 31 will connect the air passageways 35 and 36 which communicate with the pump chamber 12 and air pressure will be introduced into the pump chamber 12. The area immediately about the Venturi jet 32 will be in communication with the upper end of the pump chamber 13 by way of a suction passageway 40 in the combination rotary valve and Venturi member 31 and the upper central portion 38 of the body member 11. Air pressure passing through the Venturi jet 32 and downwardly into the tubular member 29 will create a partial vacuum which will therefore communicate by way of the passageways 40 with the pump chamber 13 and as its arcuate passageway 15 is in communication with the inlet port 18 of the pump, liquid in the inlet port will be moved upwardly into the pump chamber l3'while the liquid in the pump chamber 12 is being discharged downwardly through the corresponding arcuate passage 14 and into the outlet part 21.

It will occur to those skilled in the art that when the pump chamber 12 is empty the pump chamber 13 will have been filled and means not shown thereupon actuates the air cylinder 23 to rotate the four way valve 16 to reverse the connections thereof with the inlet and outlet openings and at the same time, turn the combination rotary valve and Venturi member 31 so as to reverse the connections of the air passageways 35. In such reversed position the suction from adjacent the Venturi jet 32 will communicate with the upper end of the pump chamber 12 and the air pressure from the area 33 in the combination rotary valve and Venturi member 31 will communicate with the pump chamber 13 and the operation will accordingly be reversed and fluid will therefore be continuously pumped by the device and continuously discharged thereby as the operation in the pump chambers 12 and 13 alternates.

Those skilled in the art will observe that packing glands and friction bearings have been incorporated in the air actuated vacuum pump disclosed herein and not specifically mentioned as the same will be obvious to one skilled in the art.

The above described structure provides simple trouble free pumping action dependant only upon a source of compressed air and has no flat valves or similar devices which can become inoperative and the rotary valves including the four way valve 16 and the combination rotary valve and Venturi member 31 are both self-cleaning as theyrotate partially and in opposite directions alternately as the pump operates. A suitable timing mechanism can be arranged to control the operation of the air cylinder 23 and this may be made automatic by introducing a pressure control switch in either one of both of the pump chambers 12 or 13 as will occur to those skilled in the art.

Although but one embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An air actuated vacuum pump having at least two pump chambers in a common body forming support means for said pump chambers and incorporating inlet and outlet passageways, a valve in said support means having separate passageways communicating with said inlet and outlet passageways respectively and with openings in said pump chambers and acting when moved to alternately connect said openings in said chambers with said inlet and outlet passageways respectively, a source of suction and air pressure and means for introducing suction into one of said pump chambers and air pressure into the other, said means consisting of a rotatable structure positioned in a vertical passageway in said common body and engaged with said valve for rotation thereby, said means for introduc ing suction into one of said pump chambers and air pressure into the other being arranged to alternate said introduction of suction and air pressure with respect to said pump chambers and means for moving said valve.

2. The air actuated vacuum pump of claim 1 and wherein said rotatable structure includes a combination rotary valve and Venturi member arranged to control said source of vacuum and air pressure.

3. The air actuated vacuum pump of claim 1 and wherein said source of suction and air pressure consists of a combination rotary valve and Venturi jet having a suction chamber thereabout, means for introducing compressed air into said combination valve and Venturi jet so as to create a vacuum in said suction chamber, said combination valve and Venturi jet arranged to direct said compressed air into said chambers alternately and into said Venturi jet continuously.

4. The air actuated vacuum pump of claim 1 and wherein the common body is cylindrical, the valve is a rotary valve and the air passageway structure is centered in said common body. 

1. An air actuated vacuum pump having at least two pump chambers in a common body forming support means for said pump chambers and incorporating inlet and outlet passageways, a valve in said support means having separate passageways communicating with said inlet and outlet passageways respectively and with openings in said pump chambers and acting when moved to alternately connect said openings in said chambers with said inlet and outlet passageways respectively, a source of suction and air pressure and means for introducing suction into one of said pump chambers and air pressure into the other, said means consisting of a rotatable structure positioned in a vertical passageway in said common body and engaged with said valve for rotation thereby, said means for introducing suction into one of said pump chambers and air pressure into the other being arranged to alternate said introduction of suction and air pressure with respect to said pump chambers and means for moving said valve.
 2. The air actuated vacuum pump of claim 1 and wherein said rotatable structure includes a combination rotary valve and Venturi member arranged to control said source of vacuum and air pressure.
 3. The air actuated vacuum pump of claim 1 and wherein said source of suction and air pressure consists of a combination rotary valve and Venturi jet having a suction chamber thereabout, means for introducing compressed air into said combination valve and Venturi jet so as to create a vacuum in said suction chamber, said combination valve and Venturi jet arranged to direct said compressed air into said chambers alternately and into said Venturi jet continuously.
 4. The air actuated vacuum pump of claim 1 and wherein the common body is cylindrical, the valve is a rotary valve and the air passageway structure is centered in said common body. 